Country Profile > Mongolia > 2. Current Situation of Persons with Disabilities

2. Current Situation of Persons with Disabilities

2.1 Definitions and Classification

The Mongolian Social Security Law for People with Disabilities (SSLPWD) provides the legal definition of disability in Mongolia. The Law was approved by Parliament in December 1995 and amended in November 1998. The state agency responsible for implementation of this law is the MSWL. The structure of the ministry and its implementation agencies are shown in the Annex VI, Mongolian Social Policy Structure.

According to the Law, persons with disabilities are those with limited physical or mental abilities, either genetically inherited or acquired during life, persons born with deformations or disability caused by illness or accident which limits full ability to work, mute persons or person officially diagnosed with sight, hearing, or body or mental disabilities.

There is no classification system of persons with disabilities used in Mongolia. Instead, disability is assessed on a purely medical basis by a panel composed of a medical doctor, a representative of local government and members of the community. The medical assessment prevails. The law stipulates that the panel described above will make the determination but does not provide guidelines as to how the determination will be made.

2.2 Government Policy and National Plan towards Persons with Disabilities

Mongolia refers to people with disabilities in its constitution addressing the provisions of state fundamental rights, such as rights to employment, education and vocational rehabilitation, as well as the anti-discrimination for all disabled people.

In 1998 Government of Mongolia adopted National Programme on "Improvement of the Situation of Persons with Disabilities". This Programme is to be implemented between 1998 and 2004. The main objective of the Programme is to "... to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and build an environment to increase participation and integration of persons with disabilities into society."

The programme includes the following provision for improving vocational training and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities:

This part of the National Program will support professional and vocational training of persons with disabilities; strengthen the material basis of the institutions for training; financially support students with disabilities; create economic mechanism to provide work placements for persons with disabilities; and promote persons with disabilities led businesses and the sale of products manufactured by persons with disabilities.

The National Programme is one of the key Government of Mongolia documents concerning implementation of International Convention 159 on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment(Disabled Person)

The State policies main principles are to establish a humanitarian, merciful and democratic civil society, where human rights, freedom, justice and national solidarity are respected greatly, is provision of equal opportunity for people with disability to participate in social life as healthy people, by improving livelihood and education of the people with disability.

The policies and resolutions on the people with disability, and issues concerning their involvement in social life and provision of life security, are reflected in the "Constitution of Mongolia", "Law on social security of disable", "Law on social welfare", "Labour law", "Law on social insurance", "Law on pensions, benefits and compensations for diseases caused by industrial accidents or related to the professions from the social insurance fund", "Law on health insurance of citizen", "Law on health", "Law on taxes of added value", "Law on customs tariff", "Law on education" and "National programme on advancement of livelihood of the people with disability " approved by the Government in 1998, "National programme on preventing from accidents and injuries" approved in July of 2002 and other resolutions and regulations of the Government and relevant ministries.

Through the "Law on taxes of added value" releasing from taxes of added value was legislated in case of manufacturing, importing and selling of special equipments for people with disability.
Through the "Law on customs tariff" customs taxes on special equipments for the people with disability, equipments and source materials, required for producing of special equipments for the people with disability, and goods of humanitarian and grant aids, are freed.
Due to "Law on education", education in Mongolia is humane, democratic, uninterrupted and accessible for all, as well as citizens have equal right to education and they are entitled to provision of condition and possibilities to study.
Due to "Law on higher education", granting and crediting of the tuition fees for people with disability are legislated.
In the "Labour law", revised in May of 1999, labour related issues of people with disability and dwarf people were emphasized. According to this law, in case of not influencing on speciality of activities, entities and organizations with 50 or more staff must employ disabled or dwarf people at 3 percent of vacancies. Otherwise, the entity or organization must pay for the monthly fine in order to contribute to the state centralized budget and the money will fund some social welfare measures for disabled and dwarf people.

Active involvement of people with disability in social life and the increased income opportunity for them through employment, while ensuring their living standard is one of the inseparable parts of State policy since people with disability are considered as main part of vulnerable social groups who need to be under regular care and attention of the State.

2.3 Government System

The Government proclaimed the year of 2001 as a "Year of support for the people with disabilities" with the purpose of improving the social safety and delivering all kinds of support from the state to protecting their interests within the decade of the people with disability and set up a 15 member National Committee for organizing the activities in the Year of support for people with disabilities. The Minister for Social Welfare and Labour of Mongolia headed the National Committee and it has local representatives in 21 provinces.

organizational chart of national committee under the ministry of social welfare
Source: Asia Pacific Regional Expert Group Meeting, and Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, 2003

*Four groups, namely the members of the national committee, local representatives in 21 provinces, local representatives in the capital city and 9 districts, and the secretary of the National Committee report to the head of the National Committee, who is also the Minister for Social Welfare and Labour of Mongolia. All these groups and the head are part of the National Committee for organizing the activities in the year of support for people with disabilities.

In the frame of activities of the year, measures were undertaken to enable the people with disability with wheelchair to enter to some organizations without someone's support, including MOSWL, State social welfare office, 29th secondary school, which is recognized as a Special training center for the people with disability, and Labour training factory for the blind, by establishing special paths, entrances or stages for the people with disability with wheelchair and special path for the blind. The international gesture language books were translated into Mongolian and were distributed to provinces. Training to prepare teachers for special schools of people with disability and deaf children in rural area was conducted in 2 stages and prepared more than 40 teachers. The news programme "Tsagiin khurd" of the Mongolian National Television is started to broadcast with gesture interpretation. Besides, actions were undertaken to provide financial support from the Government to activities of the special industries and complexes of the people with disability.

2.4 Regional Cooperation

The countries of Asia and Pacific region were called upon to develop and implement an action plan directed at preventing the population from handicap, improving health and social safety of the people with disability, and furthermore drawing them to the active social life within the framework of the Asian and Pacific decade of people with disability. Mongolia supported this call and signed it in 1992.

2.5 Statistical Data

According to the data from Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, as of 2001, there were 115,000 persons with disabilities in Mongolia (4.8% of the total population); 10,100 of which blind, 6,500 with hearing and speaking difficulties, 20,900 with mental disorders, 28,000 with impaired movement and 42,000 with multiple disabilities.

Additionally, of 39,700 disabled people considered capable to work, only 5,200 (13.1%) are actually employed. The unemployment rate of PWDs is therefore extremely high at 87%. 88 per cent of persons with disabilities live below the poverty line and 60% of them are women.

The data collected by the CBR programme seems to be very different from the data provided by the National Statistics Office. Between 1992 and 2000, the project has covered 6 districts of Ulaanbaatar city and 11 provinces, and in a total population of 1,427,608 population it has identified a total of 47,050 persons with disability (3.3%). Out of these persons with disability, 13% are children below 5 years and another 12% are children of 6-15 years, while 75% of disabled persons are adults. Similarly, the percentages of persons with different disabilities emerging from the data collected by the CBR programme, seem to be very different from the national data provided by Statistics office, especially for persons with intellectual impairment.

Among the disabled persons identified by the CBR programme, 24% have visual impairments, 15% have hearing and speech impairments, 15% have impairments related to movement, 6% have convulsions, 4% have mental illness, 10% have intellectual impairment and 26% have multiple disabilities. Forty nine percent of the disabled persons identified by the programme are women and 51% are men. Such differences in data can be partly explained by differences in survey methodology and definitions of different disabilities used during the surveys.

2.6 Law and Legislation

Legislative initiatives are as follows:

Mongolian Labour Law

The Labour Law was introduced in 1996 and amended in 1999. The purpose of the Law is defined in the Article 1, which states that "...(the law) resides in governing the relations connected with the exercising by citizens of their right to work on the basis of employment agreement..."

Article 74.1 stipulates: "It is prohibited to deny employment to disabled person and pygmies if their physical conditions enable them to be employed in the industrial and service jobs..." it continues as "...the administration is required to provide industrial and/or service jobs to disabled and defective (sic) persons according to their abilities..."

Article 111 of the amended Mongolian Labour Law specifically supports the employment of persons with disabilities. According to the law, institutions (government or private) with more than 50 employees are required to have a workforce made up of at least 3 per cent people with disabilities. Those that fail to meet this minimum standard must pay a tax in lieu of every person with disability that should have been hired to reach the minimum. The tax collected is to be contributed to the Employment Promotion Fund, with collected resources spent on provision of information and mediator's services; training for self-employed or people not covered by unemployment insurance; public awareness and education by Governor's Office together with State Employment Offices and other activities on promotion of employment. Employment Promotion Fund is resourced from state and local budgets unemployment insurance; bank interest on deposit to the fund; international loans for employment promotion; and other donations. The Mongolian Labour Law does not provide any additional provisions regarding employment of people with disabilities.

The Mongolian Social Security Law for People with Disabilities (MSSLPWD)

The MSSLPWD was approved by the Parliament in December 1995 and amended in November 1998. This law specifically serves to protect and support the rights of persons with disabilities. In addition to defining disability, the SSLPWD includes regulations regarding provision of identification cards, defines government agencies and officials responsible for the implementation of the law, defines the type of the support from the government for the individual and disability-focused non-governmental organizations, defines right for rehabilitation and after care, and outlines entitlements for education, employment, recreation and social services for people with disabilities. The SSLPWD also states that disabled persons should be entitled to vocational training opportunities.

Article 5.6 of SSLPWD notes that management of trade, transportation, communication, health and public places shall introduce special bylaw to serve persons with disabilities.

Article 8 of the law covers education and vocational training for persons with disabilities. It states:

The State shall support education and vocational training of persons with disabilities in the mainstream system unless the person has a highly transmittable disease, like tuberculosis.
All levels of education and vocational training institutions must not refuse for persons with disabilities to write the entering examination unless the person has highly transmittable diseases like tuberculosis.
Pre-school age children with disabilities have the right to attend pre-school education institutions unless the child has a highly transmittable disease, like tuberculosis.
The State, communities, parents, and caregivers shall support the opportunities for attendance of child with disabilities to mainstream pre-school education institutions. Special pre-school education institutions shall complete necessary skill preparations for the child with disability allowing them to attend mainstream pre-school institutions.
The State shall financially support higher education, college and vocational training for students with disabilities that have successfully passed entrance exams. Beneficiary shall come from very poor families, or from families with a member that has fully lost his/her working ability.

Article 9 of MSSLPWD is dedicated to employment of persons with disabilities. It states that:

The State shall give all manner of support to employ persons with disabilities and support the businesses and services run by persons with disabilities based on the person's working skills and education.
The State shall facilitate and support the enterprises and organizations employing persons with disabilities. A Committee of Government, Provincial/Municipal's Citizen Representatives can use state provincial budget resources to compensate business loss in connection with employing persons with disabilities or those run by the blind, deaf or/and people with physical disabilities.
Enterprises or organizations must not refuse to employ persons with disabilities, and must provide suitable work placement for the persons with disabilities unless the person has highly transmittable diseases like tuberculosis.
Enterprises or organizations shall reduce the working day by two hours for blind persons.

State Social Welfare Law of Mongolia (SSWL)

The purpose of the SSWL is to define types of welfare services, eligible beneficiaries, the composition of the social welfare fund and the legal basis for its distribution, organizations and officers responsible for welfare activities; and regulations relating to implementation.

Article 25 of the SSWL details basic disability benefits from the Social Welfare Fund and the legal requirements for persons with disabilities to receive the benefits. The Article has several paragraphs of relevance to people with disabilities:

The provision of fuel and coal of heating for families with a disabled member in a ger and financial support for those living in apartment blocks (Article 25.1.1)
One-way transportation cost for persons with disabilities living in remote areas to get to a hospital or medical labouratory once a year
Reimbursement of the cost of an orthopedic and mobility devices once in a person's lifetime (Article 25.1.2)
Reimbursement of the cost of a wheelchair for disabled persons under age 16 once a lifetime
Monthly provision of 74 per cent of minimum poverty wages for a family member who takes care of disabled family member unable to work elsewhere
Provision of hearing equipment the first time free and the second time with 50 per cent of discount;
Reimbursement of transportation cost to return home for students with disabilities upon graduation
50 per cent off the payment for telephone use at private residence by blind person living below the poverty line
Reimbursement of transportation cost to the provincial center and 50 per cent of the cost of sanatorium visit once a year.

There are no other Articles in the SSWL regarding accessibility/transportation cost for persons with disabilities.

Article 13 of the SSWL sets the scale of benefits for persons with disabilities, which are set at the official poverty line and are distributed from the Social Welfare Fund. In setting poverty line, the Government considered prices non- food stuff and services as of April 2002 and 12 month average foodstuff prices in a standard consumption basket between May 2001 and April 2002. The poverty line in Mongolia's western region is 19,200 Togrog, in the mountainous region is 19,100 Togrog, in the Gobi region is 19,700 Togrog in the eastern region is 20,200 Togrog and in Ulaanbaatar is 24,600 Togrog.

There are a number of government regulations supporting implementation of the Mongolian Social Welfare Law.

Government Statement 36, issued in 1999, includes four parts:

Attachment 1 describes how the Social Welfare Fund is to be established and defines beneficiaries;
Attachment 2 describes the regulation for additional payment for the employees of state special schools;
Attachment 3 contains regulations for services and support for elderly;
Attachment 4 provides regulation for Social Welfare Provision for persons with disabilities.

Statement A/70 was issued in March 1999 by the Minister of Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (former name of Ministry of Health) and followed by relevant implementation agencies today. The Statement includes 10 attachments that outline state measures for implementation of the Social Welfare Law. The following are related to persons with disabilities:

Bylaw on sanatoriums. (Attachment 1);
Sample of bylaw for welfare services center (Attachment 2);
Bylaw on home services (Attachment 3);
Regulations for provision of identification cards for persons with disabilities (Attachment 7);
Sample of the ID for persons with disabilities (Attachment 8);
By law of State Welfare Organization (Attachment 9).

The "Law on social security of the people with disability" legislated some functions of the government implementing agencies, related to development of certain parts of state policy on people with disability or involvement of the people with disability in some cultural, artistic and sports activities in national or local level, could be implemented by NGOs on protecting rights of the people with disability by funding relevant cost of these activities.

There are more than 30 NGOs are operating in Mongolia. In order to ensure the general management of these NGOs, the National association of Mongolian's organizations of people with disability was established and Chairman of Standing committee on social policy, Parliament of Mongolia, was elected as its president.

National Association of Mongolian's Organizations of People with Disability

*The national association of Mongolian's organization of people with disabilities is composed of: (a) President, (b) member organizations to protect rights of people with disabilities and (c) Management board. The Management board has an executive director and a secretary.
Source: Asia Pacific Regional Expert Group Meeting, and Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, 2003

The Government is aiming to let NGOs to implement some state functions on a contract basis. For instance, the Ministry of Social welfare and Labour cooperates with the National Association of Mongolian Disabled Citizen's Organizations and the Wheelchair fund of assistance by establishing contracts with them every year and supporting the funding some of their activities from the state budget. NGO, named "Liberal trade union coalition of disabled and dwarf citizens" has established Employment mediating office and helped 150 persons to find jobs, on subcontract basis with the Central employment office.

Also with financial support of the Employment promotion fund, the National center of rehabilitation and vocational training for the people with disability covers 20 disabled citizens in vocational training of sewing and baking yearly and provides them with work places.

Asian Development Bank, with grant assistance of 1 million US dollars of the Japanese Poverty Reduction Fund, started to implement a 3 years project aimed at promoting employment of the people with disability. It is estimated that 4000 disabled citizens with ability to work will benefit from the project in direct or indirect way.

Activities of the project include increasing skills of the people with disability with ability to work, supporting the people with disability to run a business, creating employment opportunity for the people with disability in the labour market and in the special work places for them and conducting IEC activities on livelihood, employment and skills and qualifications of the people with disability.

2.8 Medical Services, Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices

Medical Services

Because of limited infrastructure and transport industry, Mongolian health care and social care systems are still very poor. Disabled people who are almost always unemployed (especially women) cannot afford to go to capital city for the services they need.

Currently, the NGO Mobility Mongol provides services peripatetic and they are essential for disabled people in rural area to survive in. Their services are free of charge for all disabled people under age of 17 years and disabled single mothers.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation services are centralized at the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Disabled people from rural areas again cannot receive them at all due to the financial difficulties connected to transportation. Many of them cannot afford payment for the prosthetic-orthopedic appliances. The NGO Mobility Mongol reported lack of specialists such as physical and occupational therapists negatively affects further daily lives of the disabled.

Assistive Devices

According to the Social Welfare Law of Mongolia, the disabled person can receive the prosthetic-orthopedic aid free of charge once during a lifetime. However, the assistive devices available exclude the Walking, Electronic and Activity Devices and none of assistive devices are available in rural areas.

2.9 Community Based Rehabilitation

CBR program has been one of the five major achievements of the Mongolian government for disabled persons since 1993.

In 1991, the Government of Mongolia requested the assistance from World Health Organization (WHO) to provide support in improving measures for the disabled. In accordance with the request, the Rehabilitation Unit of WHO together with Associazone Italiana Amici Raoul Rollareu (AIFO) initiated CBR services for Mongolian population.

In accordance with the request of Government of Mongolia to the WHO to provide support in improving measures for the disabled, WHO together with AIFO, Italian NGO have organized a joint site visit after what it was decided to start CBR program in Mongolia.

The implementation of the CBR program followed a 'top-down cascade' approach. Initial activities focused primarily on training national and intermediate health personnel for rehabilitation work.

Between 1992 to 1996, with the support from the Ministry of Health, the traning designed for the health personnel was undertaken at both national and district levels. In 1997, with the assistance of the funding from the European Union (EU) and AIFO, Ministry of Health formulated an extensive three-year plan (1998-2000) to systematically expand the implementation of CRB program, covering almost half (56%) of Mongolian territory.

Two primary activities identified for implementation were as follows:

Training of health personnel at intermediate and peripheral level (namely, family doctors or doctors in urban areas; Aimag or province doctors; somon or district doctors; feldshers or rural health workers) and training in techniques of medical rehabilitation and making of simple appliances.

Eleven aimags in the western part and six districts in Ulaan Bataar were selected for implementing the training. Each training programme was planned for three weeks with ten-days refresher courses and also included translating and distributing the WHO Manual and other teaching materials in Mongolian script. The trained personnel were to transfer the information and skills to persons with disability and their families in the communities.
Support for production of orthopaedic appliances through improvement of a national orthopaedic workshop at Ulaan Bataar and creation of two regional orthopaedic workshops in Zavkhan and South Gobi.

The plan also included collaborative works with other ministries and NGOs to promote the inclusive education for disabled children, the micro projects for vocational training, and economic self-sufficiency of persons with disabilities through rotating credit funds.

CBR activities

The activities of the CBR programme at the village level included home visits, making of simple mobility aids, referral services, training for starting rotating savings and credit funds, parent training, vocational training courses, support for strengthening of organizations of disabled persons and so on.

In the nine years since the programme has been launched, there also have been some national level accomplishments. Two of the significant achievements of the national rehabilitation effort in Mongolia are firstly, the development of a National Programme on "Improving the equality of life of people with disabilities" in 1998 and secondly, the creation of a National Rehabilitation and Vocational Training Centre for the Disabled (NRVTC), in November 1999. The centre consists of three units, namely, vocational training department, orthopedic workshop, and rehabilitative therapy unit.

2.10 Independent Living Movement

Mongolia does not currently have an organized independent living movement although in 2001 many activities involving different DPOs were carried out including the establishment of their own newspaper office, named "Humuun Zaya" (Human destiny).

However, there has been some other major initiative for the establishment of an independent living movement through some existing institutions which promotes life improvement and social integration of people with disability in Mongolia.

2.11 Public Awareness

According to the report of the CBR program in 2001, the NGO reported the public awareness-related events as follows:

For the first time in Mongolian history, the disabled people criticized current policy of the Government towards them, and established "Special Committee on Protecting the Rights of the Disabled People". They organized a strike near the Statue for the Memory of Repressed (the statue was built for the memory of the people, suffered and died during communist repression), and presented out declaration to the Parliament, Government and President of Mongolia. The Government of Mongolia, the President and Prime Minister of Mongolia is then organized a meeting with the representatives of the disabled, and listened to their opinions. Their struggle continued almost for 4 months from June 18 to October 3 in 1998. The success of the strike was claimed over their existence to the government.
With the help from Mongolian famous poet, T.Galsan, genuine composer N.Jantsannorov and popular singer Dashpeljee, the disabled had their own Song, Flag and Emblem. DPOs of the disabled have come to solidarity, and established a Central Council of DPOs. The Central Council serves as an umbrella organization for all DPOs of disabled people of Mongolia. As a result, they became able to represent the disabled people from all over the country, introduce the information about their current situation and faced problems directly to the Government, and keep a permanent relationship between the Government and DPOs. The Central Council became a main corresponding organization to receive support and encouragement from related organizations inside the country and abroad. The Central Council of DPOs established own branches all over the country, covering its 21 provinces. As a result, disabled people in countryside receive up-to-date and true information about current events and policies of the Government.

2.12 Sports

According to 48th Session of the Socio-Economic Commission of US`s Asian and Pasific Region held in April 1992 in Beijing, China which declared the decade from 1993 to 2002 for the disabled people of Asia and Pacific Region to be fully involved in social life and provide them equal right, and a wide range of activities, Mongolian president signed this declaration on 4th may 1993 and this issue was considered at the national state policy level.

Mongolian Paralympic Committee

MPC is a non-governmental and now a member of the International Paralympic Committee and PESPIC committee in Asia. Established in February 1995, the Mongolian Paralympic Committee organizes and supports sports activities for the people with disabilities in Mongolia as well as finds sportsmen and women for international sport events.

Biwako Millennium Framework Seven Priority Areas

2.13 Self-help Organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations

Currently, Tumur Foundation is one of the successfully running self-help group today. This NGO foundation has four people working permanently at home and sets up a small workshop manufacturing traditional souvenirs (training provided up to 30 people a month). The products are distributed to the main tourist shops around the city. Money from the sale of products goes towards of covering the cost of raw materials and providing some social services for persons with disabilities.

In Mongolia, it is fully allowed that persons with disabilities to join and form associations according to the Mongolian Constitution and other related laws.

For example, in the Law on Social Security of people with disabilities, there is a provision that allows forming Non Governmental Organizations' which represent interests of people with disabilities.

Currently, there are 60 NGO's that represent interests of people with disabilities in Mongolia. In order to create a central administration body of those NGO's, National Association of Mongolian Disabled Citizen's Organization was established in 1997.

The Government of Mongolia promotes the activities of the NGO's of the people with disabilities by funding relevant cost of those activities and cooperates with NGO's namely, National Association of Mongolian Disabled Citizen's Organizations and the Mongolian Association of the Blind on contractual basis.

The National Association of Mongolian Disabled Citizen's Organizations cooperates with government institutions namely, Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance and Economy, as well as it cooperates with NGO's with similar activities of foreign countries such as Japan, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea and Russian Federation.

The Government supports the idea of establishing self help organizations of the people with disabilities. There is a special factory of the people with disability operates under name of "Labour and Training Factory of the Blind".

Currently, the factory has more than 100 employees and 80 per cent of them are blind and the rest are Non-Disabled people working in positions of management and administration.

In order to protect and develop children with disabilities as active citizens of the society through improving participation of parents, the family and parental associations have established and their activities are widening in the local level in Mongolia. The high level conference of these associations held in 2003 and planned the further activities of the association. Furthermore, the association cooperates with British "Save the Children Fund", European TACIS programme and implements projects on capacity development, training and the parents' awareness.

2.14 Women with Disabilities

50.5 percent of Mongolian population is women and their representation in the society is relatively high. As of education, 88.5 percent of women aged 10 years old and above is educated, 7.7 percent of which with higher education, 9.4 percent with technical and college education, 48.3 percent with vocational and complete secondary education and 23.1 percent of which with primary education.

In Mongolia, there are more than 50 NGOs, operating to protect rights of women, including the Association of women with disability aimed at protecting rights of women with disability.

The Association has started its activities since 1995. Except for protecting rights of the women with disability, it is a NGO with social services status and no membership.

The Association provides community based rehabilitation services for the women with disability and conducts IEC activities on life and culture of the women with disability. Besides, it organizes field training and workshops for rural women with disability.

The Japanese Embassy in Mongolia has been supporting activities of the Association of women with disability and financed a project of 17.2 thousands of USD from the Grass root programme.

There are currently no government organizations in Mongolia that specifically cater to women with disabilities. However, there are some non-governmental organizations that have been established in Mongolia which advocate protecting the rights and interests of women with disabilities.

Mongolian Association for Disabled Women (MADW)

The Association gives the grants for the projects protecting disabled women and girls from sexual abuse in Mongolia.

ABILIS Foundation

Founded by people with disabilities in Finland 1998, ABILIS Foundation is a development fund, with the aim to support the activities empowerment of disabled persons in the developing countries. The foundation supports activities that contribute toward equal opportunities for disabled people in society through human rights, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. Special priority is given to activities developed and implemented by disabled women.

There is also report of discrimination against women with disabilities, who are discriminated against both on the basis of gender and disability.

Equality Now

Founded in 1992, Equality Now organization has been working for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. The foundation also documents violence and discrimination against women in order to stop these human rights abuses.

According to the report submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee (68th Session, March 2000), the organization points out the anti-discrimination in Mongolian Constitution as well as notes the report from the Mongolian Association for Disabled Women that laws to protect the disabled, 60% of whom are women, are not enforced because the penalties provided under the law for organizations and academic institutions that discriminate against people on the basis of disability are ineffective since the organizations and institutions prefer to pay the fine for violating these laws rather than hire women with disabilities.

2.15 Early Detection, Intervention and Education

According to the Constitution, all citizens of Mongolia are entitled to free access to secondary and complete secondary education.

The literacy rate of Mongolian population aged 15 and above is 97.8 percent and 47.8 percent of total population aged 7-29 is studying to attain education.

We are aiming to provide children with disability with opportunities to study or to work with healthy children, by ensuring integrated training for both people with disability and healthy children in ordinary secondary schools and pre-school educational institutions. The implementation of issues regarding education and qualification of children with disability falls under state policy framework. Currently, a National center of rehabilitation and vocational training for the disabled and 6 special secondary schools for people with disability and mentally handicapped children are operating. In academic year 2004-2005 the special school for blind children has opened.

In the past few years, the National center of rehabilitation and vocational training for the people with disability has been giving more than 100 citizens with disabilities 7-8 kinds of qualification yearly and 78 percent of the graduates were provided employment by establishing contracts with industries and business entities.

Early Detection

There has been no report of Mongolian government along with the private sector and other governmental agencies to have conducted information campaigns to prevent causes of disabilities. However, a report of programme area conducted by an international charity-Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)-contributed to reducing the incidence of common illnesses and disabilities in Mongolia. With 31 skilled health or education professional who is considering volunteering of the charity, VSO Mongolia has reported a workshop introducing the topic of disability in November 2005. To improve the sustainable, effective implementation of the priority health needs addressed by the Mongolian Minstiy of Health, VSO Mongolia has also announced its plan to start mainstreaming disability in its health partnerships from the year 2006.

Education

According to education indicators, Mongolia is a highly educated country with 98.5 per cent of the population literate. Gender discrimination in education is relatively low since is no specific law or regulation preventing children with disabilities from attending regular public schools, and there is a higher percentage of disabled children in regular schools than in other countries, the integration of students with disabilities into the mainstream system is not widespread in Mongolia. There are a few special kindergartens and schools for children with disabilities, and often, the educational programmes are not flexible enough for disabled children.

There is also a common attitude among school teachers and pupils towards children with disabilities that they should be educated at special schools. The annual expense of one special school with 420 pupils was about the same of 3 ordinary secondary schools (with 1-10 grade) with each 1200 pupils; this suggests that such education was very costly. Coupled with this, the number of schools in Mongolia for handicapped children, which were 14 in 1990, has decreased to 5 due to economic and financial problems. The compulsory school education system has also weakened since the transition period, and disabled children are now forming a visible part of school drop-outs. Disabled children have very limited access to education, especially in rural areas. Very few special schools exist for children with hearing/speaking disabilities and mental disability. Such schools are only located in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Just one offers classes for blind children.

According to 1997 statistics reported by Ministry of Science, Technology, Education and Culture (MOSTEC), an estimated 8 per cent of school age children have disabilities, 5.8% of them in special schools, 0.2% of them in vocational schools while 50% are enrolled to ordinary secondary schools. The rest (37%) remains at home.

2.16 Training and Employment

According to the regulations on implementation of relevant provisions of Labour law on employment of disabled and dwarf people, the Central employment office, in collaboration with the employment offices of provinces, the capital city and districts, has conducted inspection of 647 entities with more than 50 employees.

In the process of the inspection, some entities and organizations were revealed that they have not employed the appropriate number of disabled or dwarf people and were fined by 1.3 million tugrugs. The amount goes to the "Development fund of disabled and dwarf people" and as of first half of 2004, 4.7 million tugrugs were accumulated in the fund.

NGO, named "Liberal trade union coalition of disabled and dwarf citizens" has established Employment mediating office and helped 150 persons to find jobs, on subcontract basis with the Central employment office.

With financial support of the Employment promotion fund, the National center of rehabilitation and vocational training for the people with disability covers 20 disabled citizens in vocational training of sewing and baking yearly and provides them with work places.

Asian development bank, with grant assistance of 1 million US dollars of the Japanese Poverty Reduction Fund, started to implement a 3 years project aimed at promoting employment of the people with disability. It is estimated that 4000 disabled citizens with ability to work will benefit from the project in direct or indirect way.

Training

There used to be several state institutions providing construction, sewing, shoe making and railway maintaining trainings. State owned factories recruited graduates. The privatization of factories in the early 1990s stemmed demand for TEVT graduates trained under now outdated systems. The institutions had to refocus in the sense of the new market oriented system. Today many former vocational training institutions have either privatized or upgraded their curriculum.

There are number of private factories and non-governmental organizations providing non-formal vocational training. In the last four years, nearly 30,000 people have participated in short-term skill training. These are specific skill training without provision of certificate or diploma.

There are two main programs conducted by the Government related to vocational training: the National Poverty Alleviation Program and the Green Revolution. These programs support, among other activities, efforts by local educational and cultural institutions to organize training on life skill and income of the families interested in running small and medium scale enterprises.

In 1999, 2,500 small enterprises/community groups and 114,400 families around the country enrolled in program under the Green Revolution. In 1994, UNESCO provided non-formal education for women in remote Gobi region on new technology and maintaining profitable business of livestock in the free market economy. The training was organized through TV and radio for 15,000 women during 1994-1996 and 35,000 in 1996. This method is suitable for education of people in remote areas. GTZ, German International Assistance Agency is conducting a project on "Promotion of Vocational Training in Mongolia". The model project has been implemented at the Food Technical School where a three-year training program leading to a certificate of professional training upon graduation is offered. The program includes classes for cooks as well as classes on hotel and restaurant services.

Employment

In Mongolia, persons with disabilities are still perceived as persons with limited ability to contribute to and/or benefit from the working environment. There is a need for comprehensive government policy on the promotion of persons with disabilities as valuable members of the work force. An important tool for this is awareness rising among employers to hire persons with disabilities and improvement of work places for persons with disabilities. As mentioned earlier there are almost 40,000 people with disabilities capable of working. The needs and abilities of each of them vary. Some of them are able to hold a job at an open market, some are able to work at sheltered work environment, and some require an environment specifically suited to them. All of the above are limited in Mongolia.

People with mental illnesses are most likely to be excluded from employment due to the attitude of officials at different levels. Persons with mental disabilities are generally considered unable to perform any productive task. The Mongolian Law on Social Security does not provide for any support for people who lose less then 50 percent of their working ability. As a result, according to the Labour and Social Welfare Inspection Agency, many unable to work as a person without disability do not receive benefits from the State Social Security Fund.

State Occupational Training Enterprise for Blind People

There is only one sheltered employment program for persons with disabilities in the country. This is a state factory providing on-the-job training. The factory provides employment and dormitory facilities for blind employees. There are carpentry, sewing and wool production departments in the factory, producing 30 different products including: professional uniforms, felt for gers (traditional nomadic tent), soft covers for furniture, and different types of robs. The factory finances its operations exclusively through the sale of the products. Unfortunately, quality constraints limit marketing potential. Of the 85 persons with disabilities work at the factory, 80 per cent are blind. The factory has a dormitory with 48 apartments. There are 60 families (360 people) living at the dormitory today. The factory also provides some recreational activities such as sports and music for their employees.

2.17 Access to Built Environment and Public Transportation

In accordance with the Mongolian laws people with disabilities are entitled to free access to public transport.

Creating infrastructure for the people with disabilities is still in its immature stage in Mongolia. However, in the frame of activities of the decade, measures were undertaken to enable the people with wheelchair to enter to some organizations without someone's support, including MOSWL, State social welfare office, 29 th secondary school, which is recognized as a Special training center for the people with disabilities, and Labour-Training center for the blind, by establishing special paths, entrances or stages for the people with disabilities with wheelchair and special path for the blind.

In order to improve accessibility of the persons with disabilities to the built environments, "Accessibility Standards for the persons with disabilities" has been developed recently. The Standards will help to create favourable environment for the persons with disabilities to participate as an active part of the community in the area of employment, education, and information.

The Ministry of Infrastructure has been working on reflecting the accessibility needs of the persons with disabilities in the infrastructure development plan and give chance to them to participate in public housing scheme to get new apartments.

The Mongolian social and public environment remains largely inaccessible to persons with disabilities. The road network is poorly developed in general, and there are no regulations or special transport facilities or systems for the wheelchair-bound. Among the obstacles are state budget constraints, and the absence of policy promoting and building awareness among public and private business owners to improve the situation. The inaccessibility makes it difficult for disabled persons to exploit training and employment opportunities, and to participate generally in community life.

It is estimated that there are more than 120,000 people in Mongolia affected disabilities. Most require some sort of mobility assistance, however only 3% of this group has access to some kind of mobility aids. The major problem is the lack of awareness among people about issues related to disability and rehabilitation facilities available in the country. There are only 2 Prosthetic and Orthopedic workshops producing mobility aids, as well as poor distribution system for aids, lack of trained human resource to fit the aids and appliances, and the inappropriate designs for use in the Mongolian rural settings.

In 1999, Mobility Mongolia (MM) was established under the laws and jurisdiction of State of Mongolia. The services include support to set up new orthopedic workshops or develop existing workshops, train technicians to run the workshop, research and development and networking and advocacy.

Mobility Mongol (MM)

Mobility Mongol was established under the jurisdiction of the State of Mongolia as a Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) to provide services to individuals with mobility disabilities and individuals with hearing or visual disabilities. These services include:

Designing, producing, repairing and distributing mobility aids in rural areas
Partnering with the School for the Deaf and Blind Children
Conducting research and development and promoting appropriate technology and techniques
Networking with NGO's
Initiating advocacy programs
Creating women's workshops

2.18 Access to Information and Communication

The association of Blinds owns FM radio station line to provide information to the blind people for promoting their active participation in social life and increasing public awareness regarding the person with disabilities.

A library for blind was opened with financial assistance of the project on "Employment Promotion of people with disabilities". The library is equipped with special computers, printers, Braille books and other special tools for blinds. Also the project supports Mongolian Association of Blinds' activities by providing special techniques and equipments and technical assistance to organizing sign training for the parents who have children with disabilities.

The project on "Employment Promotion of people with disabilities" also supports National Rehabilitation and Vocational Training center for the People with disabilities by providing computers and equipments for renovation of the computer teaching cabinet.

Program Hi-light 2000: Disabled children computer training center

A computer training center for deaf, dumb and disabled children was opened on 1 March 2000 at school; The purpose of the center is to provide equal opportunities not only for those kids studying at the school, but also for other disabled people who are seeking opportunities to use computers and be integrated into society.

2.19 Poverty Alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable livelihood programs

State policy on social security of the people with disability regulated by the Package law on social insurance, Law on health insurance of citizen, Law on social welfare, Law on social security of the people with disability, the "National programme on advancement of livelihood of the people with disability" approved by the Government in 1998 and relevant rules and regulations.

The relevant costs required for implementation of legal acts and programmes on people with disability are reflected in the state budget of the country annually.

Pensions and state assistances for the people with disabilities are not sufficient for their living and quite low compare to price growth and inflation rate. Therefore, the Ministry is aiming at increasing pensions and benefits of the people with disability and supporting their other income generating activities.

In comparison to at the end of 2000, the average pension from the social insurance fund has increased by 85 percent in 2004 respectively and the Government of Mongolia spends 16.9 million tugrugs from social insurance fund annually for the pension of 47056 persons with disabilities. Social welfare pension has increased by 44 percent and the government spends additional 252.0 million tugrugs for 28748 persons with disabilities.

The policy trends of the government on poverty reduction of the people with disability are to promote active involvement of the people with disability in social life, support their employment through provision with work places and encourage them to independent living in society and community.

Between 1994-2000, the NPAP implemented 20 projects to support persons with disabilities. Projects worth a total of Togrog 182.3 million projects were implemented in 10 provinces and three districts of Ulaanbaatar. Six hundred and ninety eight persons with disabilities received vocational training and 153 of them obtained permanent work placements through programs supported under the NPAP. Twenty centers in the city and provinces are now equipped with medical and other special equipment and training materials to provide regular training and services for average of 200 persons with disabilities a year. Despite these achievements

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